Bathing water quality in Cantabria, Spain
Cantabria has 40 official bathing waters in the EEA dataset for the 2025 season (35 coastal and 5 transitional (lagoon/estuary)). 85% were classified Excellent — 1.6 points below the 86.6% across Spain — and 1 was Poor. 24 sites have been Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025.
Calidad de las aguas de baño en Cantabria
De 40 zonas de baño oficiales de la UE en Cantabria, el 85 % fue «excelente» en 2025; zonas con calificación «insuficiente»: 1.
official bathing waters
Excellent in 2025
Poor in 2025
Map of official bathing waters in Cantabria
Sea, lakes and rivers in Cantabria
| Water type | Sites | Excellent | Good | Sufficient | Poor | Not classified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal | 35 | 31 (88.6%) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Transitional (lagoon/estuary) | 5 | 3 (60%) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Coastal waters are assessed against stricter bacterial limits than lakes and rivers but are diluted far more; see how the classes are calculated.
Most consistent Excellent sites
24 sites were Excellent in all eleven seasons. Ordered by the length of the unbroken Excellent run ending in 2025; the first 24 are shown and every site is in the full list below.
- PLAYA 1? SARDINERO PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA 2? SARDINERO PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA CAMELLO PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA DE BERRIA PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA DE COMILLAS PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA DE LANGRE PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA DE LIENCRES PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA DE LOS LOCOS PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA DE TREGANDIN PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA DE USGO PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA DEL RIS PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA DEL RIS PM2 11 seasons
- PLAYA EL SABLE DE TAGLE PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA LA ARENA PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA LOREDO PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA MATALE?AS PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA ORI?ON PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA OSTENDE PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA PUNTAL PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA SABLE DE MERON PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA SALVE PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA SAN JUAN DE LA CANAL PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA SOMO PM1 11 seasons
- PLAYA VIRGEN DEL MAR PM1 11 seasons
Rated Poor in 2025
For a Poor site the Bathing Water Directive requires management measures, including a bathing prohibition or advice against bathing, so check the authority before visiting.
- PLAYA DICIDO PM1 Poor in 2 of 11 classified seasons
Changes from 2024 to 2025
Improved (0)
None.
Declined (2)
- PLAYA DE AJO PM1 Excellent → Good
- PLAYA DE LA CONCHA PM1 Excellent → Good
How Cantabria rated since 2015
Counts for the sites in today’s 2025 inventory; the Excellent share is calculated over classified sites only.
| Season | Classified | Excellent | Excellent share | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 40 | 34 | 85% | 1 |
| 2024 | 40 | 36 | 90% | 1 |
| 2023 | 40 | 36 | 90% | 0 |
| 2022 | 40 | 36 | 90% | 0 |
| 2021 | 40 | 35 | 87.5% | 0 |
| 2020 | 40 | 35 | 87.5% | 0 |
| 2019 | 40 | 35 | 87.5% | 0 |
| 2018 | 39 | 31 | 79.5% | 0 |
| 2017 | 39 | 33 | 84.6% | 0 |
| 2016 | 39 | 29 | 74.4% | 0 |
| 2015 | 38 | 25 | 65.8% | 0 |
Places with the most bathing waters in Cantabria
Each site is matched to its nearest named place (GeoNames, within 8 km in a straight line), so beaches of one resort or lake shore can be compared together. Select a place to show only its sites in the full list.
| Place | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santander | 8 | 8 (100%) | 0 |
| Noja | 4 | 4 (100%) | 0 |
| Suances | 4 | 3 (75%) | 0 |
| Comillas | 3 | 3 (100%) | 0 |
| Castro-Urdiales | 3 | 2 (66.7%) | 1 |
| Bareyo | 3 | 1 (33.3%) | 0 |
| Argoños | 2 | 2 (100%) | 0 |
| Liendo | 2 | 2 (100%) | 0 |
| San Vicente de la Barquera | 2 | 2 (100%) | 0 |
| Boo | 2 | 1 (50%) | 0 |
| Santoña | 2 | 1 (50%) | 0 |
All 40 official bathing waters in Cantabria
Grouped by water type, alphabetical within each group. Open a site for its 2015–2025 history, nearby alternatives, weather forecast and the national profile link.
Download all 40 sites as CSV (classes 2015–2025, coordinates, nearest place; EEA data, CC BY 4.0)
Coastal 35 sites · 88.6% Excellent · 1 Poor
- PLAYA 1? SARDINERO PM1 · Santander Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA 2? SARDINERO PM1 · Santander Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA ARENILLAS PM1 · Liendo Excellent Excellent 9 seasons in a row
- PLAYA BRAZOMAR PM1 · Castro-Urdiales Excellent Excellent 7 seasons in a row
- PLAYA CAMELLO PM1 · Santander Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA CUCHIA PM1 · Suances Excellent Excellent 7 seasons in a row
- PLAYA DE AJO PM1 · Bareyo Good Excellent → Good since 2024
- PLAYA DE BERRIA PM1 · Argoños Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA DE COBRECES PM1 · Comillas Excellent Excellent 7 seasons in a row
- PLAYA DE COMILLAS PM1 Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA DE GALIZANO PM1 · Bareyo Good
- PLAYA DE LA CONCHA PM1 · Suances Good Excellent → Good since 2024
- PLAYA DE LANGRE PM1 · Bareyo Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA DE LIENCRES PM1 · Boo Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA DE LOS LOCOS PM1 · Suances Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA DE OYAMBRE PM1 · Comillas Excellent Excellent 9 seasons in a row
- PLAYA DE TREGANDIN PM1 · Noja Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA DE USGO PM1 · Miengo Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA DEL RIS PM1 · Noja Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA DEL RIS PM2 · Noja Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA DICIDO PM1 · Castro-Urdiales Poor Poor in 2 of 11 classified seasons
- PLAYA EL SABLE DE QUEJO PM1 · Noja Excellent Excellent 10 seasons in a row
- PLAYA EL SABLE DE TAGLE PM1 · Suances Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA HELGUERAS PM1 · Argoños Excellent Excellent 8 seasons in a row
- PLAYA LOREDO PM1 · Santander Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA MATALE?AS PM1 · Santander Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA ORI?ON PM1 · Liendo Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA OSTENDE PM1 · Castro-Urdiales Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA PUNTAL PM1 · Santander Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA SABLE DE MERON PM1 · San Vicente de la Barquera Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA SALVE PM1 · Santoña Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA SALVE PM2 · Laredo Excellent Excellent 10 seasons in a row
- PLAYA SAN JUAN DE LA CANAL PM1 · Liencres Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA SOMO PM1 · Santander Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA VIRGEN DEL MAR PM1 · Santa Cruz de Bezana Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
Transitional (lagoon/estuary) 5 sites · 60% Excellent
- PLAYA DE LA MAGDALENA/PELIGROS PM1 · Santander Excellent Excellent 10 seasons in a row
- PLAYA DE MOGRO PM1 · Boo Sufficient
- PLAYA DE SAN MARTIN PM1 · Santoña Good
- PLAYA LA ARENA PM1 · Arnuero Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- PLAYA TOSTADERO PM1 · San Vicente de la Barquera Excellent Excellent 7 seasons in a row
Compared with other autonomous communities in Spain
| # | Autonomous community | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andalusia | 382 | 96.6% | 2 |
| 2 | Murcia | 85 | 96.5% | 0 |
| 3 | Canary Islands | 218 | 95.9% | 0 |
| 4 | Catalonia | 263 | 92.8% | 1 |
| 5 | Galicia | 519 | 89.2% | 5 |
| 6 | Valencian Community | 293 | 88.4% | 5 |
| 7 | Asturias | 73 | 86.3% | 2 |
| 8 | Cantabria | 40 | 85% | 1 |
| 9 | Basque Country | 62 | 72.6% | 2 |
| 10 | Balearic Islands | 191 | 69.6% | 3 |
| 11 | Navarre | 15 | 66.7% | 0 |
| 12 | Castilla–La Mancha | 38 | 60.5% | 7 |
| 13 | Aragon | 21 | 42.9% | 1 |
| 14 | Castile and León | 41 | 36.6% | 7 |
| 15 | Extremadura | 29 | 31% | 11 |
Autonomous communities with at least 15 official bathing waters. Size, water type and how densely sites are designated differ, so the table is context rather than a verdict.
Quick answers
- How many bathing waters in Cantabria were rated Excellent in 2025?
- 34 of 40 (85%) in the official EEA 2025 classification; 4 were Good, 1 Sufficient and 1 Poor. That ranks Cantabria 8 of 15 Spain autonomous communities by Excellent share.
- Which beaches in Cantabria have the best long-term record?
- 24 sites were Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025, for example PLAYA 1? SARDINERO PM1, PLAYA 2? SARDINERO PM1, PLAYA CAMELLO PM1. See the ranking.
- Which places in Cantabria have the most official bathing waters?
- Santander (8, 100% Excellent), Noja (4, 100% Excellent), Suances (4, 75% Excellent). See the place table; places are the nearest named settlement to each site.
- Were any bathing waters in Cantabria rated Poor?
- Yes, 1: PLAYA DICIDO PM1.
- Where do I check whether swimming is allowed today?
- On NÁYADE (Ministry of Health) (Ministry of Health (NÁYADE system) and the regional health authorities). Temporary bans, pollution alerts and closures are published there and on signs at the water, not in the annual EEA class.
Spain overview · All autonomous communities of Spain · Bathing season dates
Sources and method
Bathing-water records: European Environment Agency (EEA), data and coordinates reported by Spain, licensed CC BY 4.0. Region and area boundaries: Eurostat NUTS 2024 (© EuroGeographics for the administrative boundaries). Place names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). A site belongs to the area that contains its reported coordinates; a site up to 10 km off the generalised coastline is placed in the nearest area of Spain. Counts, shares and rankings are calculated by BathingWaterFinder from the official records.